SkyTiger 2.6 review
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Basic Comments
Everyone whom I've shared this kite with (I belong to a club, The Pictou County Flyers, up in Nova Scotia. If you're around and you see the kites up, come on by and let's go for a ride) has enjoyed it immensely. It is a true power kite, a real workhorse, but at the same time it'll be forgiving. I wouldn't recommend it for a totally inexperienced flyer but if you have someone who wants to know what a power kite can do and you don't mind helping letting them play, this would be a great introductory kite.
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Getting the SkyTiger 26 airborne
Getting the SkyTiger 26 airborne really depends on the wind conditions at the time. In a light wind you can get this kite airborne without special equipment (tent pegs or something similar), in a stronger wind you'll need something like tent pegs (to be safe) or a friend or a friend with tent pegs or a...
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Getting the SkyTiger 26 airborne in a light wind (up to 5mph)
You can get the SkyTiger 26 up in this level wind without many tricks. Attach the lines to the handles (remember, thicker/stronger line on top, thinner/weaker line on the bottom), lay the handles on the ground about 2-3ft apart, and walk the lines downwind to where you're going to be setting up the kite. Make sure the lines are untangled and untwisted, which may require a few walks up and down the length of the lines to do sometimes. Unfold the kite so that the airfoils (the rams or scoops or dams which inhale the air and inflate the kite, which you can see really well in the (background pix or right hand pix. Vickee, you choose which one to show) are both flattened and downwind of the lines. Attach the bottom lines to the kite first, then attach the upper lines. I always attach the bottom lines first because doing so increases the likelihood of any quad line kite staying on the ground until I'm ready to launch it.
With all four lines attached and the scoops still pointing downwind, pull on the kite until the scoops are just facing up. That's "up", not "windward". Too much windward and the kite may decide to walk away from you while you're walking back to the handles. Now that the kite is set (you can tell it's set because the scoops will stay open but not inflate the kite) walk back to the handles. I usually walk between the line sets so I can step on them if the kite begins to get uppity. Back at the handles, you can pull the kite to standing with one or two steps backward. Now the SkyTiger 26 should be inflating from the wind. Pull back on the top lines, it'll climb and there you go, you're airborne.
Getting the SkyTiger 26 airborne in stronger winds (over 7mph)
I've answered a question about getting the Nasa ParaWing up and the method here is almost identical so I'm going to borrow from that answer heavily. You'll need your SkyTiger 26, the quad lines, the handles, heavy lawn&garden gloves and two 12" tent pegs (you can get a package of four at a KMart or WalMart or any sports store for about US$5.00). Drive the tent pegs into the ground upwind of where you'll lay out the kite and about 2-3 feet apart from each other. I use the lawn&garden gloves to drive the pegs in deep by hand, so that maybe 4" is above the ground. I also drive them in at an angle so that the pegs are about 30ÿs° from vertical in the ground. String up the handles (but not the kite yet) and place the handles around the pegs as if they were horseshoes and you'd just scored a ringer. Make sure the that top of the handles are free and the bottom of the handles (hence the bottom lines of the kite) are at the pegs. Now walk your lines out to where you'll launch the kite. Make sure your lines are straight and untwisted. Open the SkyTiger 26 flat on the ground as described above, with the scoops downwind. Find the kite's bottom lines first and attach these to the bottom lines from your handles. You can attach the top lines first but you run the risk of the SkyTiger 26 wanting to inflate before you're ready, which means your lines will twist and you'll be chasing it across the ground. Unlike the NPW (which can be flown as a dual line kite), the SkyTiger 26 really wants to be a quad line kite. It needs those rear lines attached in order to get the proper shape to inflate and hold the wind. Once the bottom lines are attached attach the kite's top lines to the top lines from your handles.
Now the fun begins. The SkyTiger 26 is going to want to climb in this much wind. If not climb, it's going to want to fold over itself and cross the lines and upset you like an obstreperous child. Put your gloves on because you're going to be using your hands as line guides until you get back to the handles and, if a strong enough wind comes up, those gloves will save your fingers, hands and thumbs from painful damage. Face the kite. Put the left hand lines in your left hand, right hand lines in your right. Make sure you have more kite-side slack on the top lines than you do on the bottom (in other words, make sure there's more free top line on the kite side of you than on the handle side of you, and more free bottom line on the handle side of you than on the kite side of you). Pull gently on the top lines and the SkyTiger 26 will inflate and want to climb. Relax the top lines slightly but keep tension on the bottom lines. The SkyTiger 26 will inflate but not want to get off the ground because, done properly, the top of the kite will be angled further away from the wind than the bottom and the wind will push the inflated kite downward rather than upward. Still facing the kite, walk backwards until you reach the handles. Remember to keep enough tension on the lines to keep the kite inflated but on the ground. Don't let it get airborne unless you like to wrestle with the wind.
I call this technique of keeping the kite inflated but on the ground "feathering". Feathering means you provide just enough resistance to the kite's pull to keep it open and windward without giving enough resistance to get it airborne. The kite will stay inflated but doesn't get any lift until you get back to the handles. If you've ever done anything like push-hands in T'ai Qi then you know what I mean, except now the wind is your partner and the kite is your partner's hands. In any case, once you get back to the handles, pull on the top lines and once again, voila, you're airborne. The only thing I could add to this is to suggest you play the kite into the wind (in case you didn't set the kite up directly downwind of your handles) so that the most surface area possible is getting the full force of the wind. Doing otherwise and the kite will tend to roll end over end until it finds enough frontal wind to take off.
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A little fun: Getting a lift
If you are brave and/or foolish and want a good ride, take the SkyTiger 26 out in a wind over 10-15mph. What I've discovered is that most people aren't good judges of windspeed. For example, a wind of 23-25mph will force me to lean into it to stay standing, and I go about 240 by 6'. A wind above 30mph and people will start to have trouble breathing because of the difference in air pressure caused by the wind moving over the face. Now, sure, you can look at how the trees are moving or how the waves are breaking or how the grasses are swaying and get a good idea of which kite to put aloft, and sometimes it's good to know that yes, there's a good wind out there and it's too much of a wind for a certain kite on certain days.
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Ok. That said, you should know that any power kite wants to do some work. I wouldn't qualify the SkyTiger 26 along the same lines as a CQuad (which is a pure engine) but it'll give you a pull. The two pictures on either side of this segment are me getting the SkyTiger 26 into just the right part of the sky to lift me off the ground. Where is the right part of the sky to get a lift? That depends on many factors, and again I'll borrow from a previous answer to fill in.
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The strongest pull is going to be directly downwind. In other words, if the wind is coming directly out of the East and you're facing directly West and your kite is straight out in front of you, the SkyTiger 26 will exhibit its strongest pull for any windspeed when it's angled about 15ÿs° from perpindicular and between 15-20ft off the ground. This is where you want the kite for pure pull and I warn you, it will pull you if the wind gets up over 10mph. The picture on the left with my leg up in the air was taken under such conditions. I was dragged about 30ft faster than my friends could run to catch me. You can get good strong pulls with the kite higher in the sky and less face to the wind, as well. The two pictures above were taken with the kite between 65-90ÿs° from the horizon in the same wind (these pictures were taken in November 2000). Talk about a rush!
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Characteristics/Dynamics/Responses
As mentioned above, this kite likes to pull. It is a foil, quad line kite which means it's going to be sensitive to wind direction in ways that a strutted kite isn't. You'll want to keep it facing into the wind for maximum lift, although you can have some fun flying it at the edges of the envelope to the point where just one wing (one side) wants to carry the wind. Usually a gentle tug on the inflated wing will bring the SkyTiger 26 back into the wind and it'll climb once again. Be advised that, because this is a foil design, flying it too far on the edge or when there's a strong crosswind means it might crumple and deflate if the wind catches it right. This can translate into crossed lines, crashes, and loud cussing at times. You should always make sure there are no children or other unwary spectators around with this or any kite.
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While not designed for acrobatics, the SkyTiger 26 is maneuverable without being sloppy. The stronger the wind the more response it'll give you, and with too much wind you'll be responding to it rather than vice-versa. I mentioned earlier that you don't need to launch the SkyTiger 26 directly into the wind but you do need to be careful because it might start rolling head over tail on itself otherwise. This is true. What I do to prevent the roll while launching slightly out of the wind (so that the kite won't go up right into the sweet spot before I've had a chance to set myself, for example) is keep tension on the downwind wing (if the wind is blowing from the East and I'm standing directly South with the kite on the gound at the NorthNorthWest position, the Western most wing is the downwind wing) and relax a little (but not much) the upwind wing. The SkyTiger 26 may walk a bit but it won't roll and in all but a few cases the downwind wing will pull the kite until it can properly inflate and get airborne. Another trick is to get the kite airborne while it's on its nose on the ground. With enough wind, it'll stay inflated even though its kissing the ground. A gentle tug on the bottom lines will get the 'Tiger up enough (all you need is about 10-15ft) so you can turn it. Once it does, though, be prepared for it to climb quickly. This type of "reverse" launch can be handy in gusty winds or when the ground wind is stronger than the upper level winds.
Applying the Brakes or "Whoa! She done pulled some!"
Should you ever get into a situation where you're at the mercy of the kite here's the clear and simple thing to do; LET GO OF THE KITE! The other version of this is to simply release any tension on the upper lines. Another way of putting this is to increase the tension on the bottom lines. In either case, you're emptying the foil of air when you do this and essentially applying the brakes. Remember I said earlier that the SkyTiger 26 wants to inflate? It really doesn't like to be deflated but sometimes you have to and saving yourself is one of those times. The kite will shoot down, and if you're airborne, you with it.
Steering from 5 (or more) feet up
Having said all the above, you should know that if you do get airborne with the SkyTiger 26 or any kite your concept of control goes out the window. You don't have to be able to steer once you're off the ground but it's kind of nice should you want to avoid little things like people, cars, fences, farm animals, deep water, ... take your pick. Another good reason to practice steering once you're airborne is in order to make as safe as possible a landing and/or to stay airborne as much as possible. The larger the kite, the more you're hangliding but without the control or a true hanglider. Give yourself the time to learn how to steer and catch the wind, how to recover, and most important to learn how much pull a given kite will have in a given wind. Remember that the geometry of the kite control has changed should you get lifted. You're not longer attached to the earth and hence providing horizontal tension (or some horizontal component of tension). You're now swinging underneath your kite which is going to work quite hard to make you're the bob at the end of its pendulum. As you swing out of the wind your weight will cause the kite to put its back to the wind and the SkyTiger 26 will want to deflate and fold quickly. As you swing into the wind it'll want to offer more of its face to the wind and climb, taking you with it. Pulling on either set of lines will cause the kite to fly in that direction and down. Be careful of crosswinds when doing this because you'll still go down but you might be going down with the acceleration of gravity but laterally with the acceleration of both the gravity and with wind. Ouch! Be Careful!
Final Notes
- This is a true power kite with considerable pull in winds over 7mph.
- In winds over 15mph (this is a pretty strong wind, folks) at about 60ÿs° from the horizon and flying directly windward, the SkyTiger 26 will lift and definitely drag 240# off or over the ground.
- The SkyTiger 26 can be a very forgiving kite in 5-8mph winds and can serve as a good introduction to power kiting.
- This isn't an "engine" kite although it can be used for buggying, boarding, and other such activities.
- You can apply the brakes very quickly and easily with this type of kite should you find yourself in a dangerous or uncomfortable flight situation.
- You can utilitize several safe launching methods should you want to fly in stronger winds.
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